Quillblade (24 page)

The dais drew steadily closer. Sitting on the throne of ruby-studded gold that topped it, draped in luxurious robes of crimson and white, sat a slender, pale-skinned youth. The same boy Missy had seen in the Ostian official's mind. On his head, and looking far too heavy for his frail frame, was the Ostian crown set with three star-shaped diamonds. Around his neck hung a blue, oblong crystal on a silver chain. Even from this distance Missy could see how ill Alexis Greygori was. Next to him stood an old, thin man in a crimson robe that looked no less opulent than the prince's.

Suddenly, Missy became aware of a whispered conversation coming from the throne. As she strained her ears to hear she realised it was not a conversation at all, but rather a telepathic stream of instructions delivered to the prince by the old man at his side.

... drasil Project. Greet our visitors politely, Prince Alexis, but say only what I tell you to, and do not answer any
questions. Your poor mother is so worried about you. We wouldn't want you to overexert yourself.

He went on in this fashion until the ambassadors had reached the bottom of the dais.

‘Welcome to Asheim.' The prince's voice was squeaky as it echoed the old man's mental orders. ‘The people of Ost give their thanks for your continued consideration and support during our festival to commemorate the sacrifices made during the Battle of Asheim. We hope that you ...'

The telepathic link between the prince and the old man was fascinating. It was nothing like Bestia communication. It was more like ... Missy shuddered. It was more like what she could do. But that wasn't possible. She'd never met anyone who could do what she did.

As Alexis went on, Missy watched his sunken face with a growing sense of unease. Though his lips moved, the rest of his face, indeed, the rest of his
body,
showed no signs of animation at all. She had the disturbing notion that the whole scenario being played out before them was some dreadful puppet show, with the old man by the prince's side playing the role of puppet master. She wished her brother was with her.

Once the prince had finished parroting the old man's words, the Ellian ambassador stepped forward and, with the help of his translator, gave his people's best wishes to the Kingdom of Ost. Captain Shishi cleared his throat and, with a start, Missy began translating for him.

Then it was the Lahmonian's turn. While he was speaking, the old man beside the prince nodded along, saying nothing but telepathically feeding the prince the words he needed. Alexis's responses were a disturbing mimicry of his own earlier replies to the Ellian ambassador. Missy pulled her awareness back from the old man's stream of telepathic commands, suddenly realising that if she could hear him, he might be able to hear her too.

Finally it was Captain Shishi's turn, and Missy noticed the old man lean forward eagerly as he was introduced to the ambassador from Shinzô, showing more interest in the captain than in any of the other emissaries. Missy watched him intently as Captain Shishi began his introductions, not daring to risk scanning his mind in case he felt her doing so.

‘Furthermore,' the captain said once he had finished the preliminaries, ‘we have brought with us the venerable scholar, Lord Tenjin of Kami clan.'

The prince looked to the old man beside him.

The old man spoke for the first time. His voice was rasping, as though he rarely used it. Missy wondered if he always communicated telepathically. Was that common here? Were there more telepaths in Asheim, or was this old man special like her? ‘We have heard the name of the great Kami Tenjin, even this far to the north. Tell me, what brings so revered a man as the Imperial Records Keeper of Shinzô to Ost during our time of remembrance?'

The captain turned from the prince. ‘Of course, Lord ...'

‘Butin,' the old man supplied.

‘Lord Butin. Lord Tenjin has been assigned to the
Hiryû
as its official records keeper. I am afraid it is nothing more than his duty to Lord Shôgo that brings him here. However ...'

‘Yes?'

Missy noted that Lord Butin had a habit of licking his lips, like a reptile.

Captain Shishi nodded his head, as if in embarrassment. ‘Our records keeper has expressed an interest in perusing the royal vault while he has the good fortune to be in Asheim. I did not wish to ask, but Lord Tenjin has been of such service to Shinzô that I did not like to refuse him the relaying of so simple a request.'

‘The royal vault?'

It seemed to Missy that the air shimmered, as if in a great heat, and the already poor light dimmed further.

‘A dreadful imposition, I am aware.' The captain bowed. ‘It seems Lord Tenjin has discovered that a member of the royal family of Ost once travelled through Shinzô on a pilgrimage, three or four centuries ago. This royal guest is reported to have kept a diary of his adventures and Lord Tenjin wishes to –'

Lord Butin waved the captain to silence, and then spoke in his scratchy voice. ‘Out of the question, I am afraid. All such artefacts are kept in the royal vaults. Lord Tenjin is most probably aware that certain chambers have always been open to the public so that they could admire the wealth
of the Greygori family. Unfortunately, during a recent tour of the public areas someone broke into the sealed chambers where the royal family keeps its most valuable treasures, and we have since closed the vaults completely. Fortunately, nothing was stolen and the thieves were apprehended, but I am sure you understand that opening the vaults now could afford the thieves an opportunity to try again.'

As Missy translated she hoped the captain would pick up on Lord Butin's slip. He had said the thieves had been caught, and yet he was worried they would try again. Missy didn't dare point it out in case someone in the audience chamber could understand Shinzôn.

‘Of course, your eminence,' Captain Shishi said smoothly. ‘I understand completely. As I said, I was loath to bring it up at all, but Lord Tenjin has served Shinzô so well and for so long that I felt obliged to pass on his request. We had heard nothing of this terrible crime in the south. I am so glad that you managed to capture the perpetrators.'

Lord Butin glanced at the prince, who sat staring over the heads of the delegates, paying no attention to anything that was being said. ‘Yes, it is fortunate they did not manage to steal anything. Now, why do we not retire to the feast we have prepared for you in front of the greeting chamber?'

The old man signalled to their guide and the Ostian official spun around and strode off down the hall. The Ellians and Lahmonians turned to follow.

‘Just a moment, Captain Shishi,' Lord Butin called.

The others hesitated, but their Ostian guide urged them on. Missy shivered, her unease stronger than ever. She really wanted to try and see what the old man was thinking but was too afraid he would notice if she tried. The only evidence she'd had of his telepathy so far was his stream of orders to the prince, but she'd never met anyone else who could do even that much. What if he could do everything Missy could? What if he was even
stronger?

Once the others had left, the prince slumped forward on the throne like a discarded puppet.

‘Lord Butin, I –'

‘Tell me, Captain Shishi,' the old man wheezed, ‘however did you manage to steal the
Hiryû
from Warlord Shôgo's own airdock?'

Missy gasped and spun around as dozens of soldiers in Ostian uniforms emerged from behind the statues.

As Lenis was climbing the gangplank he noticed that another airship had docked next to the
Hiryû.
This one was flying Ostian colours, though there was something decidedly odd about it. Lenis was halfway to his quarters before he realised what it was. He turned on his heel and ran to the bridge.

‘We have a problem!' He pointed out through the crystal dome.

Arthur glanced up from the map table. ‘The Ostian airship? It's been there for a couple of hours or so. I saw some
officials get off and head towards the tower after the other delegates.'

‘It's not an Ostian airship! The figurehead!'

Arthur frowned, but he looked at the docked airship. Attached to its bow was a red dragon, just like the one on the
Hiryû.
It was the same figurehead Lord Shôgo had carved into all of his airships. Arthur said something in his own language and then picked up the speech tube. ‘All hands on deck. I think we're about to be discovered.'

‘Have the others returned yet?' Lenis asked as he followed Arthur out onto the deck.

‘Only Tenjin, Hiroshi and the doctor.'

‘We have to get word to the others.'

‘Too late,' Yami said calmly from the railing.

Lenis hurried over and noticed the lines of guards moving towards the
Hiryû.
Each carried a halberd and wore a crimson tabard with the Ostian three-star insignia emblazoned on the front. This alone was cause to worry, but Lenis felt something else moving within the throng of armed men. He drew in a sharp, whistling breath.

‘What is it?' Yami asked quietly.

Lenis shivered as he recognised what it was. ‘There's a Demon with them.'

‘What?' Arthur leant over the railing and scanned the guards. ‘You mean a Lilim?'

Yami shook his head. ‘No. It's a Demon.'

Lenis looked at the swordsman. The usually composed
warrior was covered in sweat. Strange emotions were rolling off him: rage, shame, and a disturbing hunger Lenis knew only too well from his time amongst slave-traders and warriors. Pure, savage battle lust. It was so at odds with what he normally sensed from the man that it made him grab his sleeve. ‘What is it?'

Yami snatched his arm away. ‘Gawayn. He senses the Demon too.'

Arthur grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away from the railing. ‘Get below decks. Now! We do not want to fight them. There are too many of them.'

Yami nodded, but remained where he was.

‘Move!' Arthur shouted.

‘Won't help.' Yami shook his head. ‘Too strong. Have to ... knock me out.'

‘What?' Lenis demanded.

Tenjin had come up behind Arthur. ‘Gawayn will not be contained in the presence of Demons. We need to immobilise Sir Yami or he will have no choice but to fight the Ostian guards when they reach the airship. Knock him out and bind him securely.'

Yami nodded. ‘We have no other choice. We cannot fight so many.'

‘We could make a run for it!' Lenis
really
didn't want to see Yami beaten into submission.

The cursed swordsman placed his hand on Lenis's shoulder and looked him in the eye. ‘We cannot leave without the others.
There is still a chance we can talk our way out of this, but if Gawayn starts to fight the Ostians we will lose that chance.'

Lenis nodded. Arthur set his face into an even grimmer expression than usual and brought his fist down on the back of Yami's skull. As the small man fell, the Kystian took off his belt and bound the man's hands behind him.

Lenis crouched down beside Yami. ‘Is he all right?' The roiling emotions he had felt from the swordsman were subdued, but still present.

Arthur grunted. ‘Should be. I didn't hit him that –'

‘Untie me, knave!' Yami shouted. The emotions Lenis had felt before flared up in force. The bound man glared at them and Lenis started. It wasn't Yami anymore.

This was Gawayn, the long-dead Kystian warrior full of violence and fury. His physical features had altered Yami's calm visage. The bones of his face, the breadth of his shoulders, even the intonation of his voice, all matched Arthur's. He looked now as he had done when he had been standing on the forecastle of the
Hiryû,
battling the Demon who had attacked them after they had fled Yukitoshi. He wasn't a Shinzôn swordsman any longer. He was a Kystian.

The cursed man struggled against the leather that bound him, but Arthur had done his job well and, despite the man's obvious strength, he could not loosen it.

‘What is the meaning of this outrage?' Gawayn's archaic intonation was different from Arthur's, yet strangely similar. ‘There are Demons about! Unhand me!'

‘Sir Gawayn.' Arthur knelt next to the man and tried to help him to stand. ‘Calm yourself.'

Gawayn pulled free of Arthur's grasp and managed to stand by himself. ‘And who are you, sir, to treat me so ill? Your looks are those of a kinsman, your actions those of a foe.'

‘My name is Arthur Knyght.'

Gawayn tossed his head. ‘Then, Lord Knyght, release me at once!'

‘There seems little point to that,' a rasping voice called to them from the airdock.

Lenis looked over the railing and noticed the Ostian guards had formed ranks below. Though he could not see the Demon, he could feel it out there, and he knew that the speaker, an old, thin man in a heavy crimson robe, was somehow connected to it.

‘By order of His Majesty Yolseph Greygori, King of Ost, I, Lord Butin, Steward of Asheim, order you to disembark your vessel,' the old man called out. ‘You are hereby placed under arrest for the crime of impersonating officials and for the theft of the imperial airship, the
Hiryû.
You are to be held until such time as Warlord Shôgo of Shinzô sends word as to your fate.'